So I got crazy lucky last week and managed to submit not only February’s short story, but ALSO a random second short flash piece, which I wrote Thursday on the fly, tweaked a bit, and sent out Friday. Oh, short fiction submitting, how I’ve missed you!
What am I working on this week?: Of course, this week, we’re back to novel revision process after having rested the summary draft for a month. This week, I need to wade into the read-through and start the time-map/scene list. If I get half-way through this week, that’ll be excellent.
What is inspiring me this week?: Just finished reading The Letters of Vincent van Gogh which was incredibly thoughtful. I really enjoyed his ruminating on art, color, and religion, and am still processing it. The letters are so intimate, it really feels like you’ve been having a conversation with him one-on-one. Now I really want to see that oil-painted animated bio-pic/movie about him.
Also just watched Meru on Netflix, about the eponymous peak and a climbing team’s attempt to be the first to make the summit. It’s a fascinating documentary about commitment, evaluation of risk, the heights of human aspiration, and the nitty-gritty of what it actually takes to climb a nearly vertical peak for nearly a week. I’m not afraid of heights, per se, but there were more than a few shots that had my stomach dropping with vertigo (I’m pretty sure most of my stress-dreams involve either big waves or incredibly steep mountains). But it really captures that obsessive nature one would need to do something like that, the absolute (and death-defying) fearlessness, and–as one climber states–a bad memory that forgets how hard and terrifying things were the last time. But I do so love movies like this, and have a number of books on my shelf (harvested from Thriftbooks) about various climbing expeditions. It’s beautiful, too, and also rather horrifying. But mostly beautiful.
What action do I need to take?: Just need to get back into a regular routine after Bug got a bad cold last week that threw off the usual pattern of life. Need to read in the evenings again, too, because that very easily slips by the way-side. So: regular hours, and reading in the evening.